Long Kiss Goodbye
by naruuino
Summary: "I wish I could tell you, but I can't find the words." Naruino.


Ino's heart is heavy when he smiles at her. "You're such a good friend, Ino-chan!" He exclaims loudly, and she smiles back even if she's dying inside because that would be all he'd ever think of her. A good friend. Her pale eyes watched as he walked out of the store to give Sakura the bouquet he had just bought.

That night, she sat on her windowsill, watching as couples walked past hand in hand. The same phrase had been repeating in her mind all day. _You're such a good friend, Ino-chan! _Honestly, she didn't know what to feel anymore. Everything just started to hurt. She told Asuma she wouldn't lose to Sakura in love or ninjutsu, but it seemed like she had no chance of winning this battle.

"Ino, Sakura's here!" Her mother called. The blonde simply rolled her eyes, practicing faking a smile before leaving her room to greet her friend. She had forgotten that they had planned a sleepover tonight. It took all her power not to start screaming at Sakura about how lucky she was. She seemed to notice, because she asked, "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Nah," she lied casually, ignoring the pressing stare of her best friend. "Say, did Naruto ever give you those flowers he bought today?" The words left her mouth bitterly, even if she hadn't meant them to. She winced and hoped that Sakura didn't notice her tone.

"Flowers?" Sakura questioned. "I didn't get any flowers from him today or yesterday or the week before.. Hell, the month before," she said, putting two and two together slowly. "Piggy.. you don't have feelings for Naruto, do you?" Oh, her best friend knew her too well. Ino stayed quiet, not able to really express what she was thinking.

"Honestly, forehead, I wish I could tell you, but I can't find the words," she admitted quietly, a smile forming on her face to hide the pain she felt. "It's okay! He wouldn't like me back, ne? I've heard he and Hinata have got it going on well.." Lie. Lie. Lie.

"You were the one who told me that Hinata and Kiba seem like they've got something going on, Ino.."

"Stop!" Ino screeched, finally breaking. "You know what? I guess I love him or something because every day he walks in my damn shop to buy flowers, it makes my morning a little better but then it hurts to realize those flowers go to you or whoever the _hell _they go to! And dammit, Sakura! I just can't get a single break with boys. I'm not as amazing as you and I'm not as pretty as you or Hinata or Tenten or anyone! I'm not significant enough for anyone to love and it really fucking sucks!" The truth felt like another stab in the heart. In the middle of her screaming, she had started to cry, and now she was being hugged by her best friend.

"You're beautiful, Ino. You're head interrogator and you've surpassed Ibiki and your dad, easily. If boys can't see that, then they don't deserve you pining after them," Sakura answered softly, pulling away.

Little did they know that at the boy's night out, Naruto sneezed loudly. "Someone's talking shit about you, huh, Naruto?" Kiba snickered. The blonde only shook his head.

"Or it's his allergies. All the pollen from those flowers.." Sai said, as if it were no big deal. But, it was a pretty big deal, because they too had noticed that Naruto always came out of the Yamanaka flower shop with a bouquet of flowers, smiling like an idiot. All their eyes came to look at him, now.

"What's going on between you and Ino, huh?" Kiba pressed further, a smirk already forming.

"N-nothing," he answered, scratching the back of his head. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't find the words," Naruto explained slowly, choosing his words well.

"Ah, we see. You don't kiss and tell."

The conversation between his relationship with Ino ended there, and he was glad. He was not ready to talk about it. He came there every day just to talk to her. Their conversations would sometimes be as brief as just a greeting, or be as long as Ino's shift. _I love her, _he thought then. _I love her, but she loves Sasuke. Or does she..? _

A sigh escaped his lips and he didn't notice that his fists were clenched. He excused himself, saying he was sick and walked to his apartment, thinking. When he entered his apartment, he quickly picked up the bouquet of flowers and left.

The next morning, Ino woke up to, "Piggy, someone left something for you!" She wasn't really one to wake up early, another thing that were opposites in. Dragging her feet into the kitchen, she saw the bouquet she had arranged yesterday with a sloppily written, _I love you. _

She had never smiled so brightly at six in the morning before.

* * *

a/n: hi! i'm starting a long kiss goodbye series for ino ships woowowowoow.

disclaimer: i do not own the song "long kiss goodbye" or naruto.


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